Winning Ticket

A STUDENT at Valencia Community College in Orlando wrote in a My Word column on the opposite-editorial page that he was upset that in a public restroom he is confronted with the good news of Jesus Christ in the manner of finding a tract. This may be the only time that many people stop long enough and are silent enough to receive this wonderful message.What the student said is true. Many people who pick up these tracts throw them away. Although I've never felt led to leave tracts around, I've read a few of them.

LADY LAKE — One of four Fantasy 5 winners in Wednesday's drawing was purchased in Lady Lake, netting each of the ticket holders a $56,545.31 prize, according to the Florida Lottery. The lucky person locally bought the ticket at the Winn-Dixie liquor store at 944 Bichara Boulevard. The other winning tickets were purchased in Wesley Chapel, Plant City and Sunrise. The winning numbers were 01-18-19-21-30, the lottery said. Staff report

ASTOR -- Astor Liquors sold the winning ticket for Tuesday's $228,439 Fantasy 5 drawing. The winning numbers were 1-9-11-16-30 Florida Lottery officials said Wednesday that the winning ticket-holder had not yet claimed the prize. Another 363 players matched four numbers and won $101.50 each, and 11,135 players matched three numbers and won $9 each.

A Mount Dora woman is the winner of the Jan. 31 Mega Money $550,000 jackpot, Florida Lottery officials announced Wednesday. Delia Lupi, 48, bought the ticket at a 7-Eleven at 7893 W. U.S. Highway 192 near Walt Disney World. The store, in west Osceola County, got a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. Lupi is the sixth jackpot winner from Lake County since Mega Money began in 2004. Lupi opted to take a lump-sum payment of $423,309.53. The next Mega Money drawing is Friday at 11:15 p.m. The jackpot is again $550,000.

TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Lottery announced Tuesday that one player matched all five winning numbers in the Monday Fantasy 5 drawing and will win a $252,204.53 top prize. The winning Fantasy 5 numbers were: 9-24-32-35-36. The winning ticket was sold at the Circle K, 803 N. Park Ave., Apopka.

Some lucky person could soon be throwing the ultimate holiday celebration. The Mega Millions lottery jackpot has swollen to more than $400 million, the second largest in the game's history. And by the pace that tickets are selling, the jackpot could likely rise to nearly half a billion dollars by Friday when the drawing takes place. Even so, the odds of winning are just 1 in 259 million. Those slim odds haven't deterred scores of Mega Millions fans streaming into the Food and Lotto store on South Semoran Boulevard in Orlando every day this week to buy tickets.

LAKE COUNTY -- A lottery ticket worth $127,704 in Saturday's Fantasy 5 drawing was bought at The Villages Publix. The owner has not claimed the prize. Another ticket sold in Lakeland also picked the winning combination: 2-16-17-19-24.

A winning lottery ticket worth $46 million was sold recently by an Orlando gas station, lottery officials said. The Quick Pick ticket, which was the winner of Wednesday's Florida Lottery drawing and has not yet been claimed, was sold by the Circle K station at 2704 S.Ferncreek Ave. The winning ticket matched all six numbers: 2-5-9-24-34-40. In addition to the grand prize winner, 38 tickets matched five of six numbers and 2,190 tickets matched four of six. jeweiner@tribune.com or 407-420-5171

The thrill of drawing the winning ticket shot up immensely Friday night when the Mega Millions jackpot rolled over to an enticing $550 million. Lines of players wrapped around the outside of the Food & Lotto store on South Semoran Boulevard in Orlando after the latest rollover. Some whispered prayers or rubbed rabbit feet in hopes of a higher power blessing their ticket with the winning numbers. "It's pretty crazy. Everyone is trying to win the big jackpot," Food & Lotto store owner Chris Chang said Saturday.

Some lucky person could soon be throwing the ultimate holiday celebration. The Mega Millions lottery jackpot has swollen to more than $400 million, the second largest in the game's history. And by the pace that tickets are selling, the jackpot could likely rise to nearly half a billion dollars by Friday when the drawing takes place. Even so, the odds of winning are just 1 in 259 million. Those slim odds haven't deterred scores of Mega Millions fans streaming into the Food and Lotto store on South Semoran Boulevard in Orlando every day this week to buy tickets.

(Reuters) - A Powerball ticket worth $16 million became worthless on Friday after a six-month deadline for the winner to claim the prize money expired, Florida lottery authorities said. "It's only happened a few other times, so this is really, really unusual," said Florida Lottery spokeswoman Amy Bisceglia. "It could have been anything, from somebody forgetting about it in the laundry, or just throwing it away. We have no idea what happened," Bisceglia said, when asked how the ticket holder could not have claimed the fortune.